North Carolina attorney Hugh
Cox, who represents veterans, alleges
that QTC works with the VA to deny
veterans' disability claims. Cox wrote in an e-mail to the
Times,
"Significant numbers of QTC medical examiners issue addendums to previous
medical reports creating an appearance that VA officials communicate
off-the-record with the QTC examiners to alter the veteran's chance of
receiving benefits."

Veterans, if any of
this is true this once again just adds credence to my postings that the
Department of Veterans Affairs is nothing but and all about a "budget control
federal agency for government mistakes". Outsourcing if this QTC/VA contact is
going on "after the fact" and changes made in medical decisions just adds the
appearance of "independence" and nothing but a VA facade.
Congress, while mock protesting, allows this to go on and on with no fairness
to the Veteran. They could put a stop to this VA injustice in a
heartbeat but choose to act like they are incensed and then do nothing.
Don't you think for a minute that the Presidents couldn't put a stop to this
injustice if they really cared about Veterans; instead of just photo
opportunities and media opportunities.

Seattle psychiatrist Philip
Plattner, who has worked at veterans health facilities for 23 years and launched
a letter writing campaign to Congress about QTC, said the QTC and VA partnership
appeared to be a "good-old-boys plan to privatize VA services, which will cost
our country and our veterans dearly" (Roche, Los Angeles Times,
4/23).

Seven
Democrats on the
House Veterans Affairs Committee on Wednesday called for hearings into
possible conflicts of interest involving a
Department of Veterans Affairs contract worth up to $1.2 billion with a
medical examination firm once headed by former VA Secretary Anthony Principi,
the
Los Angeles Times reports. The Times on Sunday
detailed the potential conflict involving Principi, who was president of
QTC
Management when he was nominated for the VA position in 2000. QTC was
awarded a contract to conduct exams on veterans applying for disability benefits
in 1998 -- before Principi worked for QTC -- and a second contract in 2003, when
Principi was VA secretary. Principi, who now serves as chair of QTC, says he
fully complied with federal ethics rules and played no role in awarding or
administering the QTC contracts. The seven Democratic lawmakers in a letter to
Rep. Stephen Buyer (R-Ind.), chair of the committee, said, "Our committee should
review the facts and circumstances involving Mr. Principi and the QTC contracts
to determine if there was any wrongdoing.” They added that the committee
"should address if the leader of an organization who has essentially divested
himself from a prior business interest can, even unintentionally, influence the
award of a business contract, or provide an advantage to his former firm.”
Buyer could not be reached for comment (Roche, Los Angeles Times,
4/27).

In related
news, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) on Tuesday sent a letter to VA Secretary Jim
Nicholson asking for copies of any communications between Principi and QTC.
Waxman also asked for copies of communication between other top VA officials and
QTC, along with summaries "of any oral communications.” Waxman said,
"Regardless of whether ethical or contracting rules were violated, the
appearance of impropriety can have a damaging effect on public confidence in the
department. This appearance can be mitigated by full disclosure.”

Waxman said
VA's agreement with QTC "appears to be a poor deal for the taxpayers" (Roche,
Los Angeles Times, 4/26).